Former BGN Head Nanik Deyang Resigns Due to Health, Vows to Continue Overseeing Free Nutritious Meal Programme

Former Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, has resigned from her position but pledged to continue overseeing the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Through an official social media post on Wednesday (22/7), Nanik announced her resignation, citing the need for medical treatment for a heart condition. She used the opportunity to address public misconceptions, stressing that the MBG programme, initiated by President Prabowo Subianto, is purely aimed at improving child nutrition for the Golden Generation and is not a tool for practical politics. ‘If it were for political purposes, the 82 million beneficiaries, mostly toddlers and elementary school children, would not even be eligible to vote in 2029,’ she stated. Nanik also highlighted the programme’s multiplier effect, noting that during school holidays, farmers complained about falling prices because the programme temporarily stopped procuring their produce. Despite her brief tenure of approximately one and a half months, she asserted that she had laid a strong foundation for the programme’s governance reform. Separately, Presidential Special Staffer Dirgayuza Setiawan confirmed the resignation and revealed that Nanik had already evaluated and restructured the agency’s top echelon of officials.